The most popular movies among NYTimes.com readers.

Review Summary

One of the oldest human impulses when things turn bad has been to go for a walk: If life is confounding and overwhelming, if you’re just plain stuck, take a hike — it’ll clear the head, ideally the spirit. “Pilgrim Song,” directed by Martha Stephens, follows one such lost soul. As a school year comes to a close, James (Timothy Morton), a Louisville, Ky., resident in his 20s, sees his job as a music teacher end; his relationship with his girlfriend, Joan (Karrie Crouse), has already hit a very dry patch. Without offering much of a reason, the restless, unhappy James hits the Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail in eastern Kentucky. — Daniel M. Gold